Fmr. Chisholm Man Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Customers Of $1M

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 26-year-old Michigan man, formerly of Chisholm, pleaded guilty to defrauding customers of his custom car shop out of more than $1 million.

Edwin Scott Verdung pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, and one count of transaction money laundering while working at Memory Lane Classics.

Verdung admitted in his plea agreement that from April 2007 to May 2010 he took money from individuals who were in the market for classic automobiles, or who brought their own vehicles into the shop to be restored.

Verdung failed to provide the services promised, but accepted funds and sometimes required customers to make “progress” payments, where he would show fake photos as evidence of the work he allegedly was doing.